Narrative:A Lisunov Li-2 passenger plane was destroyed when it crashed into a mountainside near Krasnodar, Russia. All 14 passengers and four crew members were killed.The flight had arrived at Karachayevsk Airfield at 09:05. In a break for lunch, the crew drank vodka with some officials. The return flight to Tbilisi, with a first en route stop at Sukhumi, departed at 12:30. The plane was overloaded by 366 kg. After the departure the crew did not execute the procedure climb in a circle, and immediately set course over mountains. Weather over the mountains was poor with low clouds, strong winds and icing.Attempts to find a route towards Adler and continue via the coast line failed. The airplane flew into the side of a mountain at an elevation of 1610 m.The wreckage was found in August 1949.

This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path. Distance from Karachayevsk Airfield to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport as the crow flies is 120 km (75 miles).Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.